Cognitive and Affective Outcomes of Animation on Asynchronous Learning of Agricultural Science Concepts

This exploratory study examined the use of animation as a learning tool for complex, life science content in a College of Agriculture and Life Sciences upper-division course. Sixty-three students were given CD-ROMs with six animations created in Macromedia Director ® and completed on-line quizzes classified by conceptual learning goal emphasis (CLGE) from simple to complex. Percentages of correct, partially correct, and incorrect answers were calculated for each content-specific question. The typological analysis of questions on each quiz revealed a distribution of conceptual learning goal emphasis (CLGE) across all levels, with exactly one half of the questions at the upper tier of cognitive complexity. A comparison of responses across all quizzes indicated similar patterns, with 75-87 % of students correctly answering questions, regardless of the level of cognitive complexity. Viewing the animations differentially benefited students with lower GPAs in terms of their overall course grade, whereas students with higher GPAs performed just as well with or without viewing the animations. Consequently, the researchers believe that students with lower GPAs may have misconceptions (perhaps due to learning the phenomena incorrectly in the past), lack of prior knowledge to scaffold to higher order (more complex) content, or lack of abilities to abstract and/or visualize complex, systemic processes. Students found the animations helpful and easy to use, and provided suggestions for improvement in content clarity and overall animation design. Convenience, flexibility, and self-directness were perceived affective outcomes of asynchronous learning through analysis of the open-ended responses. The current job market is seeking the society-ready graduate who not only has skills in problem solving, communication, and technology, but the independence and self-directedness to be a life-long learner. This study supports animation as an asynchronous learning tool to improve cognitive understanding, student performance, and student self-efficacy for continued learning throughout a lifetime